16 Responses to Veterans – War Pensions

On first read through this two points came to my attention:-
Para headed Costs last para:- given the current level of misinformation and outright deceit in this process whether it be Nuclear, Agent orange, Depleted uranium or what ever will come up next it seems the same rules will apply; don’t recognize that it has an effect!. This process of denial has hundreds of years of application and its time it changed.

Second Para headed Comment:
Last sentence;- this can… this appears to say we don’t want to pay for the disability for ever 60 years is to long the Govt cant afford it?
I ask you?
Then again my interpenetration of the document may be predjucied

I read the whole paper when it came out a few years ago and I don’t know why it has taken VANZ so long to make it to their website! Basically, if you served before 1 April 1974, then nothing is going to change. The Law Commission did recommend that those on a War Disability Pension have their fortnightly rates increased. The government very “generously” gave a one off 5% increase in April this year – the only other increase you will see in the future is the ongoing yearly cost of living adjustment which can vary between 1% and 3%.

Hi Pilz et al
There is no legislated definition of a Veteran. Eligibility for entitlement and services is determined by the fact that the Veteran has war and emergency service. (Briefing to ingoing Vet Affairs Minister). Don’t think much of the “and” between war and emergency myself. It is interesting to visit VANZ website especially in resepect of the articles written by the new Minister in issue 11 and 12. He appears to be inviting us to take our concerns to him. I did, and you’ve guessed it, damned by very faint response. I guess that if we take a high wind and a natural bodily function used against it…………..
Casper

Hi Casper. Re Veteran. Correct me if Im wrong but a Service Person could of served multiple overseas operations but unless they have a 70% or more disability they qualify for Diddly Squat and therefore would only be on a mirrored Superannuation pension minus any added benefits! (Which I might add doesnt apply if living overseas due to residential criteria). I believe the basis of the proposed changes to the “Act” is to change the way in which they presently calculate the percentages of disabilities. I to forwarded my concerns and gave examples of the Veteran being worse off monetary wise but received no acknowledgement. Just for info in case there are a few that are unaware:-
:- The Secretary for War Pensions issued a directive stating that all Royal New Zealand personnel stationed with the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve are to be deemed to have Emergency Service for the purposes of the War Pensions Act. (High Court judgement 18th June 2007)

FRANK ELLIOTT
I SERVED ON PUKAKI OPERATION GRAPPLE. I AM IN RECEIPT OF A VETS PENSION. CANCER AND LOSS OF A KIDNEY . I AM VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE EXCELLENT SERVICE I RECEIVE. IT APPEARS WE ALONG WITH THE BRITS WERE USED AS AN EXPERIMENT BEING EXPOSED TO NUCLEAR DETONATIONS AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BRITS DEVELOPED A NUCLEAR CAPABILITY . I EMPATHISE WITH THE PERSONNEL WHO PROTESTED THE FRENCH PACIFIC TESTS. IT IS INTERESTING TO REMEMBER THE USA USED XMAS ISLAND AS A PACIFIC TEST BASE FOR SEVERAL YEARS WE DIDN’T PROTEST THESE TESTS. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE USE OF OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL AS PROTESTERS. THESE RNZN PERSONNEL WERE VOLUNTEERS.THERE WAS AMPLE EVIDENCE OF THE DANGERS OF RADIO ACTIVE FALLOUT BY THE TIME OF FRENCH TESTING. NORMAN KIRK HAD ALL THE INFORMATION THAT TOOK SO MUCH EFFORT BY ROY SEFTON TO EXTRACT AND YET FOR POLITICAL ADVANTAGE HE PUT OUR SERVICEMEN AT RISK. IF THERE IS ILL HEALTH AMONG THESE MEN ATTRIBUTABLE TO RADIATION THEY SHOULD BE COMPENSATED BUT THEY SHOULD BE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO RECOGNISE THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO GO. WE HAD NO AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS WE WERE EXPOSED TO AND WE WERE ACTIVE SERVICE MEN DETAILED OFF.

our captain (otago) and our ops officer both had been to grapple. so in their minds there was no way we were going to stand into danger. We were always miles away from the detonation site and always up wind. Our captain told us he would do all that was right in keeping us out of harms way, except we were showering in and drinking the water.{something that never crossed our minds that this could be a danger} We even had the prime minister inform us that we would be looked after should anything happen.(highly unlikely was what we were informed} You are right we didn’t have to go and there was no pressure from anyone to do one thing or the other, but I was being paid to be on otago and wherever she was going so was I, it was as simple as that. I don’t have anything medical nuclear wise wrong with me (touch wood) and I hope it remains that way. I have quite a few mates who also went up there and they have problems galore which I only found out at the last mururoa vets weekend in tauranga

Yes, but are they problems caused by nuclear fallout? I wasn’t at Operation Grapple or Mururoa but have had open heart surgery, two unrelated cancers with a third nipped in the bud, respiratory problems, kidney problems, etc, etc..Myself and two others had to go up the foremast on Waikato to repair the Main Roof en route to Pearl Harbor. The Radhaz board stated that the Air Early Warning radar (the 965) on the mainmast didn’t have to have the safe to transmit keys drawn. This radar pulsed at 450,000 watts in the 200Mhz range and the distance between the two masts was minimal. Coincidentally, the three of us ended up with cancer of the prostate and other major health problems.

I watched a BBC program yesterday called “Wounded”. Our problems pale in comparison to the two young British soldiers who were wounded in Afghanistan. One had both legs and his left arm blown off and the other lost both of his legs and his eyesight. Both are young with not much of a future ahead of them.

Interesting to note that an ex REA who was on Otago at the time and in charge of one of the monitoring teams said that no radiation was detected. Also Canterbury reported that they had detected 100millirads which is 100 millirads below that detected at sea level for natural radiation.

FRANK ELLIOTT .
A LOT OF CONJECTURE OVER HEALTH PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM EXPOSURE TO RADIATION WAS RESOLVED FOLLOWING MASSEY UNIS SAMPLES OF D N A FROM GRAPPLE RATINGS . CHAOTIC IN ALL CASES .. SEE SEFTONS REPORT ON GRAPPLE WEB SITE .

Towards the end of our 1953/54 commission to Korea, the Pukaki visited Yokosuka and we carried out anti-submarine exercises in Fujiyama Bay with the USS “Diodin”. I was in the wheel house sending reversed morse code on the ASDIC We were steering by ASDIC and when the sub did a 180 degree turn , the large black pennant which the Buntings will know the meaning of took exception to the wind change and wrapped itself around the surface warning radar scanner and really jammed up the works. However, that is beside the point:- At this time we were carrying out daily Atomic Bomb Closing Down exercises. From what I have read above, I sympathise with all concerned in these subsequent operations and I can only say that I am fortunate that my service expired when it did.

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